Couple of questions....

[thinkbig317]

Hey everyone! Couple of question about my new carpet. #1 - Is an every two week feeding schedule good for adult carpets? If not, what do you guys recommend? #2 - Do carpet normally hiss sometimes when they breathe? I had my girl out for some handling over the weekend and I noticed that every once in a while she would let out a hissing noise when she was breathing? She seemed perfectly calm and showed no other signs of being defensive at all. Very active and looked like she enjoy roaming around. Perfectly healthly as well......

[thinkbig317]

Anyone?? :no:

[EL Ziggy]

Wish I could help you there TB. I only keep colubrids. Best wishes though brother.

[Mikoh4792]

1. Depends on size of the meal. I think once every 2-3 weeks is good. If you want real confirmation talk to breeders like Nick Mutton, Will Bird, Justin Julander...etc

2. It's normal. Carpets are known for that. All of mine let out a hiss once in a while when taken out of their cages.

[Lankyrob]

I fed my adult every two to three weeks with a rat roughly 2-4 times its girth.

[Terranaut]

As stated by others 2weeks is fine and adults hissing is normal.

[thinkbig317]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the input!

[Mikoh4792]

I had an interesting discussion with Derek Roddy yesterday about meal frequency. It would be nice if he could chime in.

[thinkbig317]

What did he have to say?

[Mikoh4792]

That smaller meals more frequently are better for your carpets in the long run. When they are young it doesn't really matter(meaning you can stick to your weekly and bi-weekly schedules) but when they hit about breeding age he feeds his adults 3 small rats a week.

He says his carpets usually live 5-10 years longer than others'. The idea behind this method is that when you feed large meals infrequently, the body stores fat because it doesn't know when it's next meal is going to be. When you feed smaller, more frequent meals their bodies are better at passing fats and nutrients that they don't need.

Again and again people ask why there are not more pictures of "older" animals and the reason is right in front of us. We give these animals very little credit. They are highly successful hunters and eat very often in the wild. Sure, they'll grab a large meal every now and again but, even a large meal in the wild is not the same nutritional value as a captive bred food source of the same size....nobody seems to account for that....oh yeah, they're not experienced enough to see these things through observation.....such as keeping them for over 30 years or traveling to Aussie a dozen times and seeing them in the wild. I've never seen a carpet bigger than 6 feet in the wild....doesn't mean they don't exist...they do but, not on average.

and from his friend who also has 30+years experience

"Feeding very large meals in the height of summer, in heatwave-prone areas, is asking for trouble. Death from regurgitation is a distinct possibility (there was one member who lost two adult snakes just a couple of weeks ago for this very reason). Offering large meals needs to be done with some insight into what's appropriate. Some of the comments/suggestions in this thread are pretty dangerous for novice keepers - just because a snake can eat an enormous food item doesn't mean it should. Snakes do this in the wild because they cannot be choosy about what they eat, but killing, swallowing and digesting very large food items puts them a some risk in each phase. This thread and the encouragements offered for feeding large food items may cause inexperienced novices to experiment with extremes, and this is very dangerous for snakes.

Reasonably regular, moderate sized meals are far better and far safer for the novice keeper and his/her snake/s to manage.

[thinkbig317]

Wow, great info Mikoh! Thanks!

[shaunyboy]

Hey everyone! Couple of question about my new carpet. #1 - Is an every two week feeding schedule good for adult carpets? If not, what do you guys recommend? #2 - Do carpet normally hiss sometimes when they breathe? I had my girl out for some handling over the weekend and I noticed that every once in a while she would let out a hissing noise when she was breathing? She seemed perfectly calm and showed no other signs of being defensive at all. Very active and looked like she enjoy roaming around. Perfectly healthly as well......

i feed large prey every 2 to 4 weeks

ive had a few carpets that huff and puff when taken out their tanks

if you watch their bodies,you will see rapid breathing,if so it's just a nervous reaction imo


cheers shaun

[red ink]

I feed 10 - 15 % of their body weight when hungry. That could be once a week to once a month interval depending on the season. Mine go off their food in winter for a few months due to environmental factors. I don't keep a set schedule unless with hatchies.

Oh... I've seen carpets longer than 6 feet slithering around the place here and there. People regularly relocate ones longer than 6 feet up north. Last I was in Alice at the Reptile park they had a 7 foot bredli waiting to be relocated.

Depends what your looking for... You'd be hard pressed to find a black and yellow carpet over 6 foot in the wild, black and brown/tan however and 6 footers become quite common.

[thinkbig317]

Thanks for the info Shaun & Red Ink! My girl is settling in very nicely. Now I truly see what all the fuss is about with carpets, they are amazing snakes to own and I couldn't be happier with mine...;)

[UwabamiReptiles]

Every two weeks is a good feeding schedule like mentioned earlier. Carpets do "talk" when you pick them up. They don't all do it but it is common. The best thing to do is work with your individual carpet. You will see when they are just talking and when they are actually in a bad mood. I have one that always "talks" when I handle her. I've had her for four years now and I can read her pretty good. I know the difference between a normal hiss and a "I'm grumpy right now hiss". Body language also plays a big part. If they are rigid and flicking their tongue fast, they may be in a bad mood. If they are "talking" but still being curious like they usually are and are more relaxed, then they are usually fine. Just takes time to get used to your snake.